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01/08/2015

“I DREAM OF JEANNIE” SOARS 84 FEET TO VICTORY

Saturday 01. August 2015

“I DREAM OF JEANNIE” SOARS 84 FEET TO VICTORY

Earlier today, 41 teams from across the U.S. and Canada headed to Tom McCall Waterfront Park to attempt human-powered flight at Red Bull Flugtag Portland. In front of a crowd of 86,000 spectators, three Oregon-based teams with home court advantage took the top three spots. Team “I Dream of Jeannie” twinkled their noses and soared an impressive 84 feet to a first place victory, while team McFly placed second and Rings of Fire took third. Representing the City of Angels, The People’s Choice Award went to Los Angeles, CA-based “Team NghtBrnd.”

“We had so many moving parts and a lot to coordinate, so I wasn’t sure if everything was going to work out as planned, but it actually did,” said ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ team captain, Andy Frank. “Flying was my favorite part of the experience today!”

This is no ordinary flying competition; teams were not only judged on flight distance but also their creativity and showmanship. Judges for the event were; Gregory Gourdet (Executive Chef at Departure), Ben Ferguson (2015 Transworld Snowboarding’s Rookie of the Year), Nate Herse (captain of the current world record holding team, the “Chicken Whisperers,”), Will Claye (two-time Olympic medalist), Jesse Thomas (triathlete), local Trailblazers stunt team member Ashley and citizen judge Brandon Beaty.

“It was the unleashing of “I Dream of Jeannie’s” flying machine that put them in first place. I had no idea what they were going to do when they walked on stage,” said Ben Ferguson. “At first it looked like a giant float, and then they pulled back the covers, popped up a glider, and flew it into first place. It was a complete surprise.”

41 of the bravest and brainiest teams from across North America traveled hundreds of miles to compete in Red Bull Flugtag Portland this year, hailing from California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, New Jersey, Texas, and Canada!

“The best part of the day was seeing the creativity and effort these teams put into their crafts. The amount of effort that goes into an even like this is amazing,” said Will Claye.

Today’s event marked the third-ever Red Bull Flugtag to hit Tom McCall Waterfront Park. For first-time fliers, Red Bull Flugtag, which translates to “flying day” in German, has taken place worldwide for 24 years, entertaining more than 500,000 spectators annually. Red Bull Flugtag dares both the brave and brainy to design, build and pilot homemade, human-powered flying machines. Crafts were required to be less than 30 feet wide and weigh no more than 400lbs (including the pilot).

With temperatures over 100 degrees, the Willamette River was the place to be earlier this afternoon. There was an impressive number of boats on the water and due to concerns of overcrowding from the U.S. Coast Guard, the contest ended early–but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the fans who stayed to cheer on the winners!